Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by failure to have continuous attention, restlessness, is also associated with poor performance in school, conduct problems and drug abuse.
Ritalin and other stimulants are prescribed to treat this disease. But drug experts say that these drugs prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should carry the most serious type of warning labels.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee insisted that the drugs should carry safety warnings. These warnings are especially for the physicians and patients telling them about the significant risks the particular drug can potentially induce.
Statistics show that about 51 deaths have occurred among children and adults who are taking these drugs for ADHD in the US since 1999. It is also associated with high blood pressure, chest pain, heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeats and fainting.
Dr. Peter Gross, the panel chairman and head of internal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey said that the side effect such as sudden death should be made clear to the physicians.
The disease is commonly diagnosed is in children, especially boys, physicians have recently started writing more prescriptions for adults. Each month about 1 million prescriptions are written for ADHD drugs for adults and about 2 million for children.
